Bad hair day doesn't deter OPRF against FenwickHuskies lose locks for fundraiser, but win crosstown match By Matt Le CrenOAK PARK – A day before the boys soccer team's big crosstown match with Fenwick, a large crowd of Caroline Halperin's peers watched the Oak Park and River Forest senior as she raised a pair of scissors as her victim nervously awaited his fate.

No, there was no reason to be alarmed.

Halperin, one of the managers of the boys soccer team, was merely cutting senior midfielder Ethan Gillman’s hair as part of a charity effort that raised more than $400 for Kidz Express, a non-profit organization that helps needy children in the Austin community.

Gillman was one of 18 players who offered up their locks to anyone who won a raffle earlier in the day. Halperin spent $47 to win the right to shear Gillman’s locks any way she pleased and said it was worth it.

Halperin got him, all right. In her first attempt at cutting hair, she gave Gillman a buzz cut with a rat tail on the back.

How did it go?

“I talked to him before I did what I did,” Halperin said. “It’s great.”

Gillman, who had never before allowed his hair to be cut by a novice, begged to differ.

“She did a ‘great job,’” Gillman said, using air quotes for the last two words. “I thought she was going to cut my head or something, so I was really nervous.

“I can’t say I love the haircut, but it was for a good cause. No, it was a great time. There were so many people there.”

There were even more people in attendance Friday night when the Huskies hosted crosstown rival Fenwick in the battle for the Prevail Community Cup.

As a large crowd urged him on, Gillman scored his first varsity goal to tie the game with 9:59 remaining and teammate Kyle Pendleton tallied his first varsity goal four minutes later to lift the Huskies to a thrilling 2-1 victory at Oak Park Stadium.

The game raises money for Prevail, an Oak Park-based charitable organization that functions as a compassionate advocate for people in Oak Park, River Forest and surrounding communities who are facing financial crisis and in search of a path to stability.

Oak Park and River Forest has now won the Cup in each of the three seasons it has been contested and has beaten the Friars in nine of the last 12 meetings.

“It was pretty dramatic,” Pendleton said of the comeback. “The second half we were all down. We had kept possession the whole time but then they just scored that lucky goal.

“But we brought it in the second half. We said this is our house and we can’t let them take this Cup from us because we haven’t lost to Fenwick in four or five years, so we had to make a statement with this game and made sure we kept the Cup.”

Pendleton’s game-winner came with 5:40 remaining. Evan Kindler tracked down a long ball in the left corner and crossed in front to Pendleton, who beat Fenwick goalkeeper Pat Daly with a great left-footed cutback shot inside the right post.

“It was a ball to Evan Kindler in the corner, and I just thought I should stay in the middle and be an option because I didn’t see anyone else,” Pendleton said. “I’m surprised I kept the ball because I thought it was going to go over my head, but I wanted to stay in my position. I just wanted to make sure it went on net.”

Gillman had the same thought when he scored the game-tying goal. He saw the ball coming toward him after the Friars had booted Flynn Sheehan’s corner kick out of the penalty area. Gillman was 30 yards from the net but ran toward the ball and fired a two-hopper inside the left post for the equalizer.

“We had a corner and someone headed it out to the top of the box,” Gillman said. “In practice I always hit it over (the crossbar) and so I was like, might as well try to place it. Max (Klevgard) just let it go through his legs, and I just placed one in.”

After that, Oak Park and River Forest's defense made sure the Friars (5-6) had no shots at tying the game. In fact, the Huskies controlled much of the action, earning a 12-5 edge in shots, and never lost confidence despite being down 1-0 on Joe Scanlon’s goal midway through the first half.

“Everyone in the locker room, even though we were down 1-0, wanted to come back out and win,” Gillman said. “Everyone really worked as hard as they could and it was amazing.

“I’ve got to give hats to our defense. They worked their (rears) off the entire game.”

Pendleton, a senior midfielder, also doled out compliments.

“I’m so proud of this team right now,” Pendleton said. “I don’t know a game we’ve played as hard this season.”

The Huskies (7-4-1) have reason to be proud. In addition to the money raised for Kidz Express, they also took in more than $1,000 for Prevail through donations accepted in lieu of admission charges.

“When we were cutting hair, there were so many people there,” Halperin said. "The atmosphere was really good and it was cool that the whole thing was just for kids in inner-city Chicago that we were helping, The (players) were really good sports about it. It was a good fundraiser.”

Pendleton agreed, even though the Huskies received plenty of snickers in school over their new 'dos.

“We got to school today, and obviously people were giving us stuff, like, ‘Oh, my God, they just messed you up,’” he said. “But I don’t think anyone really cared. We raised $400 for kids who need it. It feels good.”

The teams felt good about way the played – hard but generally clean.

“They played great, we played great,” Pendleton said. “We’ve played club with some of (the Friars) for three or four years, so nothing but pride here.”

Indeed, the Friars have nothing to be ashamed of while playing a schedule studded with top Class 3A teams.

“We’ve been doing pretty good,” said Scanlon, who scored off an assist from Jay Militello at the 19:48 mark of the first half. “We’ve had a rough patch here and there but we usually come back from that. We’re looking to go downstate too, get a CCL title as well.”

Fenwick is the fifth seed in the Class 2A Ridgewood Sectional.

“I would say we’re having a great year,” Fenwick coach Robert Watson said. “All it takes is a peek at our schedule and look at who we’re playing. Find me another team that’s playing as many top 10 3A teams as we are.